Toronto's 2015 Pan Am Games bid goes to vote
Last Updated: Friday, November 6, 2009 | 1:42 PM ET
The Canadian Press
A decision on whether Toronto will be the host city for the 2015 Pan Am Games will come down Friday afternoon.
Bid adviser Bob Richardson said he's confident his team has done all it can to sell the region, and it's now up to the voters.
There was one last sales pitch Friday afternoon in Guadelajara, Mexico — a one-hour presentation by Toronto and the two other bidding cities, Lima and Bogota, Colombia.
Representatives from Toronto's bid have been in Mexico all week lobbying Pan American Sports Organization voters on the city's behalf.
They say the Golden Horseshoe would offer a worry-free Games, and that a win would leave behind much-needed infrastructure.
The delegation is led by Premier Dalton McGuinty and includes Toronto Mayor David Miller and bid chairman David Peterson, a former Ontario premier.
The bid has been opposed by groups who say that the $2.4-billion budget vastly underestimates what it will ultimately cost to host the event, and that the money would be better spent on alleviating poverty and other priorities.
